Fleur East never found 'I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here!' overwhelming.
Fleur East insists she never felt overwhelmed on I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here! at The National Lottery's Big Bash
Tulisa Contostavlos snubbed the ITV1 show's spin-off programme 'I'm A Celebrity... Unpacked' on ITV2 and deleted jungle-related posts shared on her Instagram account by her team after she was the third campmate to leave the camp due to feeling "overwhelmed" by her stint.
The 'Sax' songstress went Down Under in 2018 with the likes of 'Rivals' star Emily Atack and that year's winner Harry Redknapp, and she has hailed the experience as "one of the best things [she's] ever done".
When asked if she felt overwhelmed by being on the show, the 37-year-old singer exclusively told BANG Showbiz at 'The National Lottery's Big Bash' at London's OVO Arena Wembley on Wednesday (04.12.24): "No!
"For me, I went in there and knew that OK, this is three weeks max - when am I ever going to get this opportunity again?
"Yes, I’m not going to speak to my family, but I know that on the other side of this, I get to see them again, and they’re all watching me.
"So for me, that was the motivation - just keep pushing through because I knew they were watching me.
"It was definitely one of the best things I’ve ever done, and those friendships I still have today.
"I still talk to Harry, I still talk to Sandra [his wife], we still have our little Jungle 11 WhatsApp group - so it’s lovely. It was an amazing experience."
Despite being dumped with critters and rotten tomatoes in Bushtucker Trials to win stars for meals in camp and finishing fourth, it was learning her fellow cast members' stories and crossing paths with people she never would have done otherwise that made the experience for her.
Fleur added: "I love to learn about people’s stories and their lives, and you sit around a campfire for hours each day, and you really get to know people.
"And you form unlikely friendships.
"Harry Redknapp became my best mate in the jungle - I would never have crossed paths with him in any other scenario, so for me, that’s been a highlight of my career."
Tulisa took to social media to "clear a couple of things up" this week, admitting she needed to "just chill" for a bit.
Speaking on Instagram on Wednesday (04.12.24), she said: "I'm just doing a little video to clear a couple things up. Just so you know, when I came out of the jungle, I felt fine first of all and then that evening my friends went to bed.
"But because it's been a while for me I can get overwhelmed quite easily. I just started to feel overwhelmed. I thought, ‘Do you know what, I really just need to take a bit of time for me and just chill.'
"You know, it's OK to feel a little bit overwhelmed. I've been out of the spotlight for a long time. I'm still trying to overcome those things. I've still got my little demons."
Watch 'The National Lottery’s Big Bash' - hosted by Fleur East and Vernon Kay - on January 31 on ITV1 and ITVX.
Tagged in Harry Redknapp Tulisa Contostavlos Fleur East